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Chapter 28: The Crown Chosen by Fire
The howls began before dawn.
Not scattered.
Not fearful.
Unified.
They rolled across the southern capital in waves—deep, resonant, powerful—carried from throat to throat until the sound shook stone and sky alike. Wolves filled the streets, the courtyards, the rooftops. Some wore armor. Others wore nothing but scars and loyalty.
Glosh stood at the balcony overlooking the lower square, the weight of the moment pressing down on her chest.
They weren’t calling her Princess.
They were calling her Leader.
Kael stepped beside her, already armored, his expression grim but steady. “Scouts just returned. Three territories have mobilized. Two declared neutrality. One openly declared against you.”
She absorbed the information calmly. “And the rest
